NASCAR's Greatest Drivers for Each Car Number 76-99

Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesWill Dale Jr. have a shot to crack this list, or won't he?

2.3K

Reads

8

Comments

While you don't see a lot of drivers on the track with numbers over 75, sometimes you will see one or two near the front of the field. Just a couple seasons ago, we saw No. 99 tie for the Sprint Cup Championship on points before losing on a tiebreaker.

We've seen the No. 88 car wheel into Victory Lane a few times over the years, including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. So, there is no truth to the notion that larger numbers slow the car down.

Let's look at the best drivers to ever run the biggest numbers, shall we?

No. 81: Kenny Wallace

Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesKenny doing what he does best...talking.

Kenny Wallace had 104 starts in the No. 81 car that included 11 top-10 finishes. Both of those numbers far exceed any other driver. Kenny has parlayed his racing career into a very nice career as an analyst on TV. If his cars ran as fast as his mouth, maybe he would still be driving more often.

No. 84: Dick Trickle

Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesSomething tells me we may see Trickle crack this list again.

What is this: The third time Trickle has made this list, or is it the fourth? Way to go, Dick.

Trickle had 28 starts in this number, second only to A.J. Allmendinger, and had six top-five finishes and nine top-10s, which are second to nobody. In fact, the rest of the field has only five top-fives put together.

No. 87: Buck Baker

Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesBaker made his name in the No. 87 car.

Guess who's back? Buck Baker. Why is he a Hall of Famer? Check these numbers out. In the No. 87 car, he made 417 starts, won 26 races, had 166 top-five finishes, 253 top-10 finishes and led 3,465 laps.

Those numbers will get you a call from the Hall of Fame.

Next in line was, you guessed it, his son, Buddy Baker, with 38 starts including nine top-fives and 14 top-10s.

No. 88: Dale Jarrett

Sorry Dale Jr. fans, but your man has a way to go before he unseats Dale Jarrett from atop the throne of greatest No. 88 drivers. Jarrett had 380 starts, including 28 wins, 129 top-fives, 188 top-10s, 6,074 laps led, a Daytona 500 win and a Brickyard 400 win. One day, the Hall will be calling D.J.

Little E has made 178 starts with two wins, 29 top-fives and 61 top-10s.

That pales in comparison to another Hall of Fame member, Darrell Waltrip, who in 161 starts in the No. 88 had 26 wins, 82 top-fives and 97 top-10s. Had D.W. won the 500 in the No. 88, he would have gotten the top spot.

Buddy Baker and Ricky Rudd both did well in the No. 88 car too. Baker had 18 top-fives while Rudd had 14.

No. 92: Herb Thomas

If you ever watched the animated movie Cars, you will remember the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet." What you may not have known is that car was actually driven by Herb Thomas, and it did have a number. That number was 92.

Thomas had 200 starts in the No. 92, which included an amazing 42 wins, 111 top-fives and 141 top-10s. He led 4,877 laps in the No. 92. Truly a deserving Hall of Fame inductee.

No. 94: Bill Elliott

Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesElliott had 13 top-fives in the No. 94 ride.

Bill Elliott has had quite a career. Nobody noticed, probably because everyone remembers his best work in the No. 9 car, but "Awesome Bill" started 185 races in the No. 95 and scored 13 top-fives, 45 top-10s and led 837 laps.

No. 98: LeeRoy Yarbrough

LeeRoy Yarbrough won the 1969 Daytona 500 in one of the most exciting races in 500 history.

There is proof that there doesn't need to be a 27-car freight train on every lap for the race to be a good one. There is a good chance I was at this race, but I was only five years old at the time, so I don't remember. But I do remember that racing was good back in those days.

In 62 starts, Yarbrough had 10 wins in the No. 98. He also had 32 top-fives and 42 top-10s with 2,222 laps led. He is by far the best of the No. 98 drivers.

No. 99: Carl Edwards

We have Carl Edwards, who has 301 starts with 19 wins, 92 top-fives and 157 top-10s with 4,191 laps led.

We also have Jeff Burton with 293 starts, 17 wins, 87 top-fives, and 142 top-10s with 4,714 laps led.

Folks, it does not get much closer than that.

In the end, I decided to go with Edwards because he is still in the car and therefore will add to those numbers, and soon there won't be much of a debate.

So, there it is. That is all of NASCAR's numbers. If you are an aspiring driver, you may notice that some of these numbers are not represented. So, there are spots reserved for you. Go out and get one!